whats in your child(s) lunch bag?

Question

My son is a picky eater. He isnt big on lunch meats so it's hard to make a good healthy lunch for him. The school lunch menu consist of a variety of meals to choose from, but nothing my child will eat. So I have to send him with his lunch almost everyday. Now I have a hard time finding what kind of sandwiches to put in his lunch...his lunch usually consist of a peanut butter sandwich, orange slices, apple juice, apple sauce or goldfish crackers, pringles ( i know a no no), banana, apple slices. I try to put in a fruit/juice/sandwich and a cracker like item. What do you put in your child(s) lunch bags? I need more variety to add...any other sandwich or a main item to put in his lunch bag?

He is 5 1/2 and in Kindergarten.

my son isnt big on pasta/rice or soups..but thanks for all the great ideas i really appreciate it and helps me out a great deal on making his next lunch meals.

Answer 1

My four year old gets:
PBJ (PBJ everyday,she says!)
Apple Sauce
Pirate's Booty
Sometimes some fruit snacks or a yoghurt drink, too but she eats a whole sandwich and that fills her up

My 17 month old gets:
Pasta or ravioli or turkey and cheese with crackers
YoBaby
a cereal bar
Pirate Bootie
Sometimes some sliced fruit
This is for snacks and lunch.

Your boy's lunch sounds good tom e-kids don't crave variety like we do and as long as dinners are pretty varied, no harm in a PB sandwich each day!

Answer 2

I am just learning how much it sucks to pack lunches! My son is 4 1/2 and will eat different stuff, but not in a lunch bag! He really likes sandwich roll ups. A flour tortilla with a slice of cheese and ham, or chicken. Roll them up, cut off the edges (they apparently aren't cool) and it fits perfect in a baggie. We also do chicken pattie burgers, Veggie burgers, (he is clueless about it being no meat), homemade chicken nuggets, and his all time favorite, a JAM sandwich. Always with baby carrots, fruit, and we found organic fruit roll ups. All natural and made only out of fruit, so I will buy them. He likes popcorn instead of chips, so some of that, and a juice box. Sams club sells organic juice boxes with no dyes or artificial anything, Apple and Eve.

I took him with me shopping so he could have his own imput on what he ate. When the time came for it to go in the bag and he said he didn't want it, I pointed out that HE picked it, and had to eat whatever until it was gone, then he could try something else. English muffins with apples sliced thin and peanut butter are good too.

good luck with the ideas!! I'm looking too!

Answer 3

My son is the same way so I feel your pain. Does he like soup? I bought my child a thermos and send him soup and a cheese sandwich often. Also, you could try making a healthy homemade version of a lunchable - cheese slices, crackers, and some kind of meat (I know you said he doesnt care for it... will he eat it if its bite size?)

I also do things like cook up some rice and flavor it with meats, so that he gets some of the protein, without having to eat big chunks of meat. Fortunately my child loves veggies so I also often send in raw veggies, chopped into snack size.

Another thing you can try is to send whole grain muffins, yogurt and perhaps some cheese - Cracker Barrel cheese makes prewrapped cheese sticks, so they dont get yucky.

Good luck!

Answer 4

You can try fruit preserves for sandwiches. Or you can skip the meat and send him with nuts, if he's not allergic, fruit, and veggies. I wouldn't put so much fruit in his lunch though. He doesn't need fruit and fruit juice. He should maybe get fruit and milk. Or fruit juice and cheese because kids already don't get enough calcium. And try adding some carrots or something like that. If you're daring you can make little pizza sandwiches with English muffins, spaghetti sauce, and cheese, but I've found most younger kids don't like that.

Answer 5

Daughter (9) gets pbj sandwich, chips, fruit of some sort (fruit snacks, fresh fruit, fruit cup, jello), fruit drink.

Son (2) is a little more difficult because he is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. He gets mac n cheese cup, goldfish, blue scooby doo applesauce (he loves it and won't eat any other kind), teddy grahams, two juice boxes, and oatmeal for breakfast at the sitter's.

Try to make food fun. Let your son pack his lunch and make funky food like monster finger sandwiches or mummy fingers. You can find all kind of cool ideas on the web. Just like my son won't eat applesauce if it isn't blue. I use food coloring sometimes. Be creative and make lunch fun.

Answer 6

its all in making the lunch look cool and fun to eat!!! do you have any cookie cutters? make the sandwiches(whether its p&j or sandwich meat) then press the cutter into the sandwich and place in his lunch. find his favorite chips--sun chips, pringles, gold fish, whatever he will eat!!
Throw in some fruit or veggies.. And lastly don't forget a little dessert!! cookie, fruit snacks...whatever! These are things I put in my daughter's lunch.
If you ever have leftover pizza, kids LOVE that in their lunch!! If he sees that his friends think his lunch looks "oh,so yummy" you can bet he will eat it all up!!! Also there are lunchables--lots of variety in those! just try to keep variety while maintaining a healthy mix!!
Personally i think you're making some darn good lunches!!

Answer 7

My daughter is a picky eater. She never would really eat at school. She usually takes the same thing for lunch every day. Your son's lunches sound just fine, and if he's not complaining about the variety then I wouldn't worry about it.

Answer 8

Cheese and crackers, we do mini pringles on occasion, goldfish, teddy grahams, milk/lemonade/water bottle/apple juice, peanut butter sandwich, jelly sandwich, cheese sandwich, ham sandwich, salami slices, yogurt, applesauce, fruit cups, carrot sticks. Whatever we can get them to eat!

Answer 9

My son (who is also in kindergarten) gets a sandwich (usually PB&J but sometimes he asks for ham), a small bag of chips, a gronola bar, and a juice box. I buy a variety pack of everything and let him choose what kind he wants that day.

Answer 10

My son is also a picky eater, in first grade I sent him to school most of the year with pb and fluff, the remainder of last year and this year, I cook him 6 --in the morning--(all white meat, all natural) chicken nuggets, rap them in tin foil (to keep warm) and place in a plastic bag inside his lunch bag. Also, I send one snack (he choices) and an apple juice.